A Life Worth Living
by iloveromance
Summary: Niles sudden appreciation for life following his heart surgery proves to be too much for Daphne. AU rewrite/continuation of "Don't Go Breaking My Heart". Includes dialogue from show.


Smiling at her husband, Daphne gave him a quick kiss on the cheek before reaching for the doorknob of Frasier's condo.

"Are you ready, Sweetheart?"

Niles sighed, clearly a bit anxious about a change in his routine. "As ready as I'll ever be."

Daphne pushed open the front door. "Here's the guest of honor!"

To her delight, the family rose to greet Niles with warm embraces. But she shouldn't have been surprised. They loved him almost as much as she did and she knew that he missed being with them, even if he wouldn't admit it.

"Niles, it's so nice to see you up and about!" Frasier said, giving his brother an enthusiastic hug. "And Daphne... You've never looked lovelier."

Daphne returned her brother in law's embrace.

"Thank you Frasier, but I get the feeling that you want something. Niles says that sort of thing to me all the time, calling me beautiful and so forth, but I'm sure there are times that he doesn't mean it! I'm hardly dressed for a special occasion."

Niles took Daphne's hand and kissed it. "You're always beautiful to me. In fact, you're simply breathtaking."

Before she could respond, he kissed her tenderly on the lips. Although she relished the abundance of love and affection, she couldn't help wondering where it came from. Niles was never shy about telling her how much he loved her, but this was almost too much.

And she wouldn't have it any other way.

"Thank you, Sweetheart." She said whispered, returning his affections. "I love you."

"I love you too, my angel."

The kiss he gave her was so warm and heartfelt that she felt tears form in her eyes. At that moment she loved him more than she thought possible.

"Sparkling cider, Niles?"

Niles smiled and took the glass from his brother and raised it in the air.

"I'd like to propose a toast. To my family and friends. Your love and support have been overwhelming."

"Oh Niles..." Daphne's voice quivered as she took his hand.

"You know..." Niles continued. "During my operation I was technically dead for several minutes."

Instantly Daphne's happiness disappeared, replaced with the familiar feeling of fear. The warmth rushed from her face, leaving behind a coldness that she'd hoped to never experience again.

"We know, Son." Martin replied, casting a sympathetic glance in Niles' direction. "You told us. I know it was scary as hell, being under the knife like that."

Daphne cringed at Martin's poor attempt at tactfulness and she took the opportunity to kiss her husband's cheek once more.

"It's all right, Sweetheart. You're getting stronger every day."

"Although I was clinically dead during the operation..." Niles continued as though Daphne's affection meant nothing to him.

"...It gave me a fresh perspective on life. It took a brush with death to remind me how lucky I am to be alive."

Daphne hugged Niles warmly, her head resting against his shoulder.

"I'm lucky too." She whispered so that only he could hear.

But apparently he didn't hear her... or chose not to.

"Everyone, I have good news!" Niles exclaimed. He rose to his feet, almost knocking Daphne over in the process.

"What's going on Niles?"

"Thank you for your interest, Frasier." Niles beamed. "The doctor cleared me for regular food and physical activity!"

Daphne beamed with happiness and her excitement was echoed by their family and friends as she rose from her place on the sofa to hug him.

"That's wonderful, Darling! Why didn't you tell me before?"

"Well I wanted it to be a surprise." Niles replied.

She leaned against him, inhaling the musky scent of his cologne. "And it's a wonderful surprise."

"It certainly is." Frasier agreed. "You know Niles, perhaps now we can get back to the squash courts."

"I don't think so." Niles replied a little too quickly.

Frasier glanced at Daphne and Martin in surprise.

"Why not, Niles? I thought the doctor cleared you for regular physical activity."  
Niles swallowed hard. "Well, he did... but there's so much more to life than _silly games_."

Annoyed, Frasier crossed his arms in front of his body. "You didn't think they were so silly when you won last time. You've been bragging ever since!"

"Yes, and I'm sorry about that Frasier."

Daphne smiled and touched Niles' back. "There's no need to be sorry, Darling. You should be proud."

"Thank you my love. But my squash days are in the past."

Daphne looked worriedly at Martin and then back at her husband.

"But Niles, you love playing squash!"

"Well it's true that I did, but I'm a lot wiser now and I realized that there's so much more that I should be doing in order to live life to its fullest."

"Oh Sweetheart, you can still play squash and enjoy life. That's what living is all about, enjoying yourself!"

"Daphne's right." Martin chimed in. "Go out and have some fun."

"But I _am_ having fun!" Niles insisted, yelling to Martin who had disappeared into the kitchen. . "I'm planning on enjoying life to its fullest, one day at a time."

"And you will, Darling." Daphne said, placing a kiss on his cheek.

Martin entered the living room carrying a delectable chocolate desert.

"Hey, since you can eat regular food, you want some of this fancy desert?"

Daphne's mouth watered. "Oh, that looks wonderful, Martin. Maybe Niles and I can-."

"But we can't." Niles interrupted. "Besides, I have something even better!"

The three Cranes looked at him curiously as he reached into his duffel and retrieved a plastic bag, displaying it proudly for all to see.

"What in the hell is that?" Martin asked.

"These are tasty rye flats!" Niles said proudly.

"They look like wood!" Martin replied. "I thought you said that your doctor cleared you to eat normal foods."

"H-he did, but since I cheated death, my tastes have gotten simpler."

At her husband's words, Daphne stilled on the sofa and closed her eyes, willing the disturbing feeling to go away.

"I looked death square in the eye!" Niles continued.

"I know the feeling, Son." Martin said. "I've been there, too."

"But I think I came a little closer to death than you did." Niles challenged.

Martin glanced at Niles with annoyance.

"Oh really? Well, I didn't see you get shot and end up lying in the middle of a convenience store in the worst part of town!"

"No, I kissed death on the cheek!" Niles argued.

"Son, you couldn't possibly know what it's like to be lying on the ground in the middle of a crime scene hoping like hell that the paramedics would show up before death took hold of your hand and lead you away from your family and friends!"

The uneasiness within Daphne grew with every menacing word.

"And you don't know what it was like lying in the operating room, knowing that in mere moments those doctors were going to tear open your chest and work on a vital organ!"

Daphne clinched her hands, not wanting to hear anymore.

"Niles, I don't want to argue about this! I'm just saying that you haven't been doing a damn thing since you came home from the hospital except sit around feeling sorry for yourself!"

"I AM NOT!" Niles yelled. "Don't you understand, Dad? I could have died! _Me_! Your youngest son!"

"Of course I understand, Niles. But you've got to understand something too. I'm not getting any younger!"

"Dad, please! You're nowhere near my age! And for me to just... die like that would be-."

The hot tears that gathered in Daphne's eyes began to fall and she could take it no more.

"BLOODY HELL, THE BOTH OF YOU JUST SHUT UP!"

The room was silent, except for the faint drone of traffic in the distance and all eyes went to Daphne.

No one said a word until Niles finally opened his mouth. "Well... Daphne, I think that was rather uncalled for given the fact that I almost-."

"I KNOW what happened, Niles! I was there, remember?"

Stepping out of the shadows, Frasier held up his hand. "Now everybody, let's just calm down!"

"_Everybody_? But he started it!" Niles yelled.

The yelling and bickering began again, and Daphne felt the anxiety start to rise.

"FOR GOD'S SAKE, NILES, SHUT UP !"

Once more the silence filled the room.

"Daphne, I don't like to get into the middle of things with you and Niles, but all of this hostility isn't good for Niles' heart!" Frasier said in a tone that meant business.

Daphne was appalled. "Well what about MY heart?" she yelled, fully aware of the stares she was receiving from Niles, Frasier and Martin.

But she didn't care. Nor did she care about the hot tears that had escaped from her eyes and were now streaming down her cheeks.

"_Your_ heart, Daphne?" Frasier asked. "Now what in the hell is that supposed to mean?"

Daphne glared at her brother in law and then turned to her husband, staring at him as though he were the only person in the room. And at that moment, he was the only person who mattered.

"Daphne, what's wrong?"

The sweet, calm way Niles asked the question made her tears fall even faster.

"Niles Crane, do you have _any_ idea what it was like for me, trying to stay strong for you in that horrid hospital when all I wanted to do was cry me eyes out? The only thing I could think of was that I could have lost you! You were... all alone in that big operating room with your chest cut open while I was stuck in the waiting room with your father and brother and Roz! I just... I couldn't stop thinking about us... the first time we met... How sweet you always were to me, complimentin' me hair or me clothes or me perfume... and the thought of never seeing you again just... In that waiting room, nothing mattered until I knew you were alive! And you have no idea how happy and relieved I was when the doctor came out and told us how well the operation went! But then when you were finally out of that place you come over here and all you can talk about is how you almost died! How do you think that makes me feel, Niles? I can't live without you! I-I just can't! Not after all that we've been through... al that we went through to be together! "

When Niles was finally able to speak, his voice was unsteady.

"Oh Daphne..."

He reached for her but she turned away, sobbing into her hands.

"No..."

He looked helplessly at Frasier and Martin who gave him sympathetic looks.

"You know Dad, there's something I've been meaning to show you." Frasier said.

"Um, yeah. Let's go take care of that." Martin said.

Both men gave Niles reassuring pats on the back before leaving the condo. However, Niles was anything but reassured.

He didn't know what in the hell to do. He'd never seen Daphne this angry before and it scared him because it was his fault for hurting her so badly.

_Damn... _

At a complete loss for what to do, he tried once more to reach his wife. Slowly he moved toward her, taking great caution not to scare her until his finger tips touched her hair.

"Daphne... my angel..."

The moment she felt his soothing touch, Daphne's composure broke even further and she melted against him, sobbing as though she would never stop. His strong arms went around her and she began soaking his shirt with her tears which seemed to have no end.

"Oh Niles..."

Her sobs were racked with remnants of the grief and pain that she'd kept bottled inside of her ever since he'd first told her about his heart problems.

As gently as possible he guided her to the sofa and sat down, keeping a gentle arm around her.

She cried relentlessly while he did everything he could to calm her. But his sweet kisses on her cheek and soothing words would never be enough.

"Daphne I'm so sorry." He whispered, knowing how inadequate the words were. "I'm so sorry my angel. I've been a complete disgrace, haven't I?"

As she continued to sob, he ran his fingers through her silky hair wishing like hell he could take back the events of that afternoon.

He held her tightly; his cheek resting against her neck and when she turned her face ever so slightly, his lips captured hers in a tender but passionate kiss. At first she resisted but then her hand went around his neck and she splayed her fingers through his hair, deepening the kiss.

"Dear God... I've ruined things between us." He sighed when the kisses ended.

"No..." whispered her small voice.

He sighed deeply knowing that he could never undo what had already transpired but he had to find a way to make this right.

"Daphne, I love you... so much... I... I guess I was so happy that the surgery went well that I just... I wanted to embrace life... live it to its fullest.I just... I never thought about how this was affecting you. I should have known that under your strong exterior that you were hurting inside.I can't tell you how much it means to me to hear that you were so worried about me. I've been waiting my entire life for the kind of love that you've shown me and I know I don't deserve it at all."

She kissed him again and brushed the tears from his cheeks. "Niles..."

"When they were taking me off to surgery, I never stopped thinking about you and all I could do was pray that I'd be able to see you again. For if I couldn't, I..."

The door opened and they looked up to see Frasier and Martin walk through the front door.

"I trust everything is okay now?" Frasier asked.

Daphne pulled out of Niles arms and rose from the sofa to face her brother-in-law.

"Frasier, I'm sorry for that horrible outburst!"

But Niles hurried to catch up with her.

"Please don't apologize, my angel. The fault was mine. If anyone should be apologizing it's me. Frasier, Dad? I'm sorry I was such an ass. I was selfish and horrible and-."

"Shhh..."

Daphne's hand went to Niles' back, rubbing gently.

"But Daphne, I-."

"It's all right, Son. I was an ass too." Martin said. "I shouldn't have started all that stuff about when I got shot. It doesn't matter who was at death's door first. The point is that any time you get that close it's scary as hell and I shouldn't have challenged you.I'm so relived that you're okay, Niles because if I had lost you..."

Daphne gasped in surprise when Martin's voice showed signs of breaking. She stepped foreword to embrace him but Niles was quicker, wrapping his father in a bear hug.

"I love you, Dad."

At her husband's tearful voice, Daphne's own tears began again and she found herself in Frasier's warm hug.

"It's all right, Daphne. You were terrified. We all were." Frasier said reassuringly. He turned to his brother. "Niles..."

"Yes, Frasier?"

"I..."

The men said nothing, instead choosing to stare at one another until suddenly they reached an understanding.

"I love you, Niles." Frasier said, hugging his brother tightly. When they drew back from one another, Frasier headed for the bar.

"Sherry, Niles? I'm sure it would be all right, given what the doctor told you and if done in moderation."

"No thank you." Niles said, surprising Daphne.

"But Niles, I thought..."

"A glass of sherry's not important to me right now, Daphne but you are."

She smiled and kissed him once more. "I love you."

"I love you too." Niles smiled and took her hand. "Now come on."

"Where are you going, Niles?"

Niles smiled at his father.

"To live my life with the woman I love."

Hand in hand, Niles and Daphne walked out of Frasier's condo ready to live life to the fullest. They had each other and nothing else mattered.

**THE END **

**P/S: A sequel/continuation of this will follow as soon as I can get it written/posted, but it might be a while so I appreciate your patience! In the meantime, all reviews for this story (and my others!) are appreciated! Thanks for reading! =)**


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